It's April 2013, the time is now & HERE ARE OUR BABIES!

[toobreathless]

Our first post natal thread!

Cooking & Cleaning can wait till tomorrow
for children grow up we've learnt to our sorrow
So wipe away cobwebs and dust go to sleep
I'm cuddling my baby cause babies don't keep!

A thread to celebrate the highs of life with a gorgeous newborn and the lows of sleepless nights, stitches, feeding traumas & Baby blues.

Here it is

Really interesting article candy - thanks.

Anecdotally lots of my friends swear by it, and it seems to work for faithlet. I think I'll persevere as we are for now- if it is colic, then it's very mild, think we can wait it out. I do burp him after every feed, sometimes nothing comes out - perhaps I need to be more persistent!
X

I've definitely decided I need to be more persistent with burping as DS is the same in that he hates going to lie down after a feed and makes pained noises for ages. I usually get a burp straight after a feed (I burp after each breast and offer both at each feed) but find on the occasions I keep going on the back rubbing I'll get another one out - takes ages tho, a good 10-20 mins!!

Candy the perceived wisdom is that you can't over feed a breastfed baby. Nappies and posseting sound normal.

She does sound like she's feeding a huge amount. Could you be misreading the cues? Could her hungry face be something else? Could she be comfort sucking because of something else like colic? It could maybe be a growth spurt but I think that would be only a few days - how long has it been going on?

As for sore bum, all I can suggest is letting the air at it a few times a day by leaving her on a towel with no nappy and otherwise tons of sudacrem!!

Wishful snap, I was asking about this yesterday, Blake is identical! Have been reading up abc if you google 'baby witching hour' it literally describes what we have both said. Colic actually isn't wind related but just a way to describe any crying for unknown reasons, which was news to me, we have tried infacol but doesn't really seem like wind and he absolutely hates the taste so not sticking with it, but bathing, lights off and cuddles and shushing seemed to help tonight, he was chilled by 9.30, better than usual 11! Tomorrow I intend to cluster breastfeed all evening then bath, massage, give a big bottle of expressed (to ensure big feed) at 7 go to bedroom, curtains closed and attempt to get to sleep earlier then another bottle at 11 and hope for the best I plan on doing this every night next week and if not working introduce a bottle of formula at night to get him going longer!

Hm interesting reading. Might be placebo effect for us! She doesn't mind the taste of it. We tried Dentinox and she does a face for that!

I've also altered the angle she was feeding at with a result of an improved latch and that might be making a difference. Equally the introduction of infacol may just have coincided with her coming out of a phase...she's certainly pooing more frequently (like every 48-72 hours rather than every 6 days) and that might be helping.

Finally checking in on the post birth thread!
Delilah keeps me very busy so I haven't had much time to read/reply. I will try again at some point as I'm being called for right now. I swear she thinks I am just "the boob" lol.

bona Thanks, I wondered that, but I'm not sure what else it could be (other than hunger) as she won't settle for anything that isn't boob.
This is only the third really hungry day, she's 7w old today so I guess it may just be a growth spurt.

Wishful - we used infacol with DS, and it seemed to help - on the plus side DS has never refused new tastes including medicines, which I slightly attributed to him trying something different from just milk for 6 months... If it is just a placebo, then oh we'll, it helped here...

So far, so better tonight... I fell off to sleep before 10pm, and the DH gave DD a bottle of formula at 10.20 pm, and she slept till 1.40am, so already I've managed at least 3.5hours sleep, when I'd barely had any by this time last night! And she actually seemed to be hungry when she woke and has drained one side properly, and taken the edge off the other side (she was barely touching me at the first feed before, just falling back off to sleep again!)

Just gt the rest if the night to work through! Good luck to all the other nighttime readers!

Decent night here too. DS down at 8.15, feed at 2 and again at 4.45. Plus he went down v quickly after the 2 am feed whereas the last few nights he's been up for about an hour afterwards.

We were trying a bottle of ebm last night at the 2am feed with a view to DH starting to take the odd night shift. I'd expressed 3 oz and he took one before squirming and crying for the breast. At least he didn't reject it entirely. We'll just keep persevering with that I think as I'm dead keen for him to have a bottle of expressed so we can leave him occasionally!

Does anyone else do a dream feed? I was thinking that if I'd fed him again at 10.45 when I went to bed he might have slept longer than 2am? However not convinced of being able to feed without waking him and I don't fancy a battle at my bed time to settle him again. As it is I can just slip into bed (usually a lot earlier than last night!) and sleep.

What do others do?

Heh fluffeh I know what you mean feeling like being just a boob!

bona I don't do dream feed yet as we have no route in but do plan to start! Oh and I planned a little night routein that we are going to start today, fingers crossed it goes ok!

I'm hoping lil one goes back to sleep now... I'm really hungry and have loads of housework to do!

Bona if she took a bit it's definitely worth persevering. We're definitely having success with a bottle. She took a bottle after her bath at about 8, fed off me for about 20 minutes then settled at 9.30. Sniffled at 1, I gave her a minute then we woke at 3! :) just trying to work out if we can get her to feed about 10 so she'll sleep a bit later? The co-sleeping set up helped too. She fed lying down at 5.30 then we fell asleep in bed - I relaxed because I knew she wasn't near the duvet!

Yes I know what you mean about being a boob too fluff! I always feel victorious when she stops feeding and just snuggles on me and falls asleep.

4 weeks old today!

mama that sounds really painful! Hope the physio helps sort it out a bit xx

essex We also have problems in the evening, dd normally has a feed about 7 and then won't settle till I feed her again at 10 before I go to bed. We've tried cluster feeding, baths (which just made her scream more!), walking up and down the flat, dummies but nothing seems to work, the only thing that keeps her quiet is sucking on my finger which means I don't get anything done in the evening but I'm hoping she'll just grow out of it soon!

cheese I had propess, why are you asking? I had it put in 11pm and my cervix was fully closed and quite far back. Went to the toilet not long after and had a lot of gunk (possibly my plug not sure...) by 1am was having irregular not too strong contractions, by 3:30am strong contractions every 4-6 mins, by 6am very strong every 4 mins, examined at 11am was 4cm by 12:45pm was fully dilated contractions every 1-2mins was pushing for 45mins and had an episiotomy but no other intervention. Also only had gas and air as was too quick for any other pain relief and lots of meconium in waters so couldn't go in pool Was very very painful contractions but my first dc so don't know if they were normal or because of the propess...

I'm not getting too excited because she's only done it once but baby bird went 5 and a half hours last night between a feed I feel so much more human today!!!! I fed her lying down in bed at 11:30 and out her in her sleeping bag (which is a life-saver to get her to sleep next to me, not on me!) she fell asleep, heard her waking at 3 so thought ok I'll feed her but by the time I'd sorted myself out she'd fallen asleep again and slept till 5 here's to hoping she'll do that every night!!!!!!

Oh, all your babies seem to sleep forever!!

Peter generally goes about 3 hours between feeds in the night, but struggles to go longer than 2 hours in the day. I know he's only 3 weeks old, and the bf is still going ok, but would love to get more of a space between feeds x

wishful baby bird is 26 days old and until a couple of day ago was also struggling to go longer then 2 or 3 hours day or night, I think she was still having a growth spurt, don't worry peter will get in a routine eventually, they all do at some point ( I hope!)

Oh for anyone whose baby doesn't like a bath, try a tummy tub. DS loves his and loves bath time. No screaming and keeps it calm before bed!

I did wonder about those tummy tubs Bona!xx

Ladies I hate to ask but no one else to talk to about this

Has anyone dtd yet? We did and it was a tiny bit sore at first (had DS via emcs) but after a few mins was enjoyable and didn't hurt!

Felt so bizarre even tho the last time was probably about 2 weeks before DS was born (so actually about 8 weeks ago)!

trish- we've not even come close! (If you'll excuse the pub!) the last time was day before P was born- trying to avoid induction!

In my case, I'm really not 'fixed' yet down there- had a 3rd degree tear, all the way to my sphincter ouch, plus I now have a viral infection- isn't childbirth great! The stitches are healing well though, I'm not entirely sure bowels are absolutely ok- haven't had any accidents, but when I get the 'urge' I really have to go straight away.

I have a question for you- what did your boobs do?! what a question to ask a stranger! often when I take my bra off I spurt milk everywhere!

Another question- will I have to wear breast pads for the entire time I'm feeding? In thinking about getting some reusable ones- has anyone tried them?

wishful I have the little lamb bamboo pads. I am very leaky and they've been great so far! They often have sales on, I payed £6 for 5 pairs. A pair seems to last a good few hours.

trish I want to dtd but the opportunity hasn't arisen! I'm a bit nervous, a glass or two of wine would help but obviously it's not allowed! TMI but I don't know what to do about contraception either, tempted not to bother - but would have to have a serious discussion with DH first!!

Trish we've not got close either! I've still got the tail end of the lochia (will it ever end?!) and really don't want to go there until that's gone. I've been doing my pelvic floor exercises though!

wishful I'm using Boots washable breast pads. They're pretty good and go in the washing machine/tumble dryer. They come as packs of 3 pairs - I've got two so I can change them twice a day and wash them 3 pairs at a time.

Trish we DTD after about two weeks . This was only because at that point the lochia had tailed off and we were getting a reasonable amount of sleep.

Two weeks after I'd had DD I was a bleeding, exhausted, milky mess and DH would have been lucky to get a handshake!

Not sure about the contraception issue really. I didn't get periods smfor a year after having DD, so I'm assuming this'll be similar. I can't get away with the mini pill as I got odd bleeds but I really don't fancy a coil. It's condoms for now.

OMG we have not DTD since I was 16 weeks pregnant! We did it twice and bled both times significantly and had previously miscarried after very similar bleeding it put us right off! LO is 5 weeks and I'm still bleeding so waiting for that to stop but have to say I'm pretty nervous, it's been soooooo long! Keep saying to DP we mustn't turn into just roomies it's been so long!!

On the baby front, today is the first day of 'Mum and Dad rule' so we are setting the routine! Bathed, expressed bottle and bed by 8! He's down and we are crossing everything he goes til 11 for dream feed then who knows how long!!! Will keep you updated, no doubt through the night, but am positive this is only day 1 and I'm sticking at it until he gets the idea!!

Thanks ladies!!

I was given the pill at my 6 week check up the other day but it does take a week to work (I'm sure it'll be ok tho!)

I just thought we'd taken ages to get round to it but I feel relieved after your responses!

Little bit of milk leaking but not too much and didn't think about it during xx